War in Hell (Art by Dominik Mayer)
The Tribulation of Hell is an event that details a harrowing period of Hell leading to its eventual destruction or emptying of its denizens.
Overview[]
The Tribulation of Hell as described in the Jeremiad of Dantalion, is an event that speaks of Hell's ultimate judgment and eventual destruction. According to the Jeremiad, during the Great Tribulations that culminate into the eschatology of the Anung Un Rama prophecy, human souls will be brought to Hell instead of Heaven as the latter will become "silent" and its gates closed off to any soul passing towards it.
Because of this, a Wild Hunt begins within the Inferno where the forces of Hell will attempt to collect as many souls as possible to arm themselves for their eventual takeover of Heaven. However, this will be during a period of political strife and unrest between the remaining lords of Hell who all continuously fight one another for total dominion over Hell. Hell's resources will exhaust upon itself until its very structure down its roots are brought down by a "king in black", a "prince in red", and a "white knight".
History[]
Background[]
The Harrowing begins with the slow destabilization of Hell's monarchy and system via the destruction of Hell's mightiest rulers. Said destruction is only apparent when these monarchs declare war on the human realm only to be thoroughly destroyed by its protectors such as the Sons of Sparda and the Dark Knight Initiative. However, with each demon king destroyed it only leaves a power vaccum for others to take their place. The first began with Belial himself who managed to free himself from his imprisonment in Cocytus thanks to Lucifer's tampering with the veil of the firmament during the Apocalypse.
After Belial's defeat, which was then followed by Moloch, Dagan, and even demon queens like Eisheth Zenunim and Agrat Bat Mahlat, many other demons fought amongst themselves for control sparking a civil war in Hell and only the strongest could take the throne. Out of all the candidates, only six were worthy enough and fought amongst themselves for Hell's power. Astaroth, despite being among the candidates, did not participate in these political strifes and opted to simply observe from the sidelines due to knowing that his nephew Hellboy would truly inherit the throne. However, Astaroth's hand was forced when the entirety of Hell was nearly subdued by Urizen, a primordial devil that existed before even Hell itself and was there before Lucifer and his band of rebel angels fell from grace after the war in Heaven. Urizen emerged after hearing of Lucifer and Satan's defeat, beginning his conquest over Hell since it was his by right as he was the first entity to exist there alongside his fellow Evils.
King in Black[]
Urizen would not stop at Hell, but soon target Earth and Heaven itself, even possibly succeeding considering that the two realms were very vulnerable right now what with spike in supernatural phenomenon after the American Gothic and the Grigori Invasion. Since Urizen was a conceptual demon, he couldn't be destroyed by conventional means which prompted Mephistopheles to form an uneasy alliance with the likes of John Constantine, Chas Chandler, Nix, Swamp Thing, and Spawn. The four worked together to locate and obtain the fruit of Eden but in its prelapsarian form, meaning when it was completely devoid of sin. When John took a stick from the Garden of Eden, Swamp Thing used its power to become an Edenian tree which bore a fruit. Spawn ate the fruit and assumed a nigh-omnipotent divine form that helped turn the tides against Urizen. Using his newfound powers, Spawn destroyed Urizen, effectively sacrificing himself in the process.
However, Spawn somehow found himself reconstituted by the shores of the river Styx. He also discovered that with the powers of Hell believing him to be dead, they were working on creating a new line of Hellspawn. Utterly fed up and reaching his breaking point, Spawn journeyed towards the Eighth Circle of Hell where it contained all of the Inferno's reserves of Necroplasm. He would be aided by Sargatanas who was rebelling against Hell and seeking redemption in the eyes of God. Eventually, Spawn fought and killed Pythius, the ruler of the Eighth Circle, and destroyed the Necroplasm reserves. Sargatanas warned him that such an act would incur the full wrath of Hell but this did not deter Spawn in the least. Moreover, by Hell's laws when a monarch in slain in fair and uninterrupted combat the victor earns the monarchs seat of power. At first Spawn was not interested but took the throne to truly ensure that no one would make new Hellspawn. Spawn allowed Sargatanas to use the Eighth Circle as their new stronghold, continuing the war on Hell.
While it seemed endless, Sargatanas assured Spawn that Hell's denizens will meet their fated destruction at the hands of the "promised one". This "promised one" would be none other than Hellboy himself who met his end during the climactic battle of the Dagor Dagorath. Hellboy arrives in the outer edges of Hell, where he is greeted by Sir Edward Grey, an English paranormal investigator and hunter, who turned into a wandering ghost by his lover Vanessa Ives many decades ago as a means of helping Hellboy save the world from unimaginable doom which had now just occurred after the Dagor Dagorath. Grey guides Hellboy away from outer edges towards the center, informing him of all that was occurring within the Inferno although Hellboy could care less even when knowing that this was all a ploy to allow Hellboy fill the void left by his father to become the next king of Hell. Hellboy, though downtrodden, assures Grey that he will never be what they want him to be. During their long walk, the cambion meets the condemned soul of John Constantine, who met his end during Theokoles' rampage. Constantine brings Hellboy up to speed as they go deeper into Hell, following the river Styx until they arrive at the Lake of Fire, where Hellboy bears witness to an untold amount of demonic spirits, casualties during the civil war, encircling the Lake of Fire awaiting their destruction.
They soon meet up with Focalor, Marchosias, Phenex, and Forneus, fallen angels that defected to Sargatanas in the hopes of returning to Heaven. The four fallen angels lead them to Sargatanas and Spawn, now a King of Hell much to Hellboy's surprise. Sargatanas tells Hellboy that the Dagor Dagorath was just the beginning and with him dead and most of the world in chaos, Lilith and her associates will begin their attack on the human world to usher in a new Eden from what remains of the planet and Heaven as a whole. Marchosias states that eventually when the veil is at its thinnest Hell's gates will swing wide open and allow the demons to have their time on Earth. Spawn adds in that even though they have somewhat crippled Hell's forces, the countless deaths from the ongoing apocalyptic scenarios occurring above is simply more ammunition for the Inferno. In spite of all this, Hellboy had lost all interest in continuing further, wanting to just end his old life and start a new one. He had grown so tired of all the deaths, the betrayals, and the lies. Constantine, who sympathized with the cambion's plight, states that while he could do that, he would never be free of his old burden, but could at least find some measure of peace if he begins to cull Hell of its demons.
Death of Satan[]
Giving it some thought, Hellboy begrudgingly asks where they should start. Sargatanas proposes that they could destabilize the very nation of Hell by killing a weakened Satan, which would lead to a great harrowing and have the demons fight amongst themselves. The only issue being is that no one knows where he is as Spawn claims that he and Sargatanas have been trying to find Satan to kill him but were unable to as he is hidden by the powers that be, suspecting that they are doing this so that he could regain his full strength and once again rise as the King of Hell. Hellboy to decides to follow their instructions and is provided with the Twin Blade by John Constantine. The next is finding where Satan was thrown after his defeat. Phenex thinks that the Devil is likely beneath Pandemonium or in Tartarus and to track him John would use a tracking spell specifically used to follow the most dense form of Argent.
Accompanied by Phenex and John Constantine, Hellboy sneaks into Pandemonium without being noticed by any of the guards. They use Constantine's spell that leads them downward, to the lowest catacombs of Pandemonium. There, they enter what appears to be a decrepit tomb that resembles an unholy cathedral, to which they come across Satan himself, still in chains with his feet hewn under him, weakened and crippled from his battle against Dante and Vergil during the climax of the Apocalypse. Phenex tells Hellboy that Satan has likely been in the deepest bowels of Pandemonium ever since his defeat, alone and unguarded, while Hell was governed by his lesser creatures, and then points out that it would be a simple matter to kill him. The cambion sneaks up behind him and kills him by cutting his throat, similar to Macbeth.
Hellboy leaves Pandemonium with Phenex and Constantine, the three rendezvousing with Sargatanas who commends Hellboy on a job well done but the cambion felt no satisfaction from such an act. He drops the blood-soaked Twin Blade on the ground, telling them that "he's done" and heads off to parts unknown, no longer wanting to be involved in wars and deaths, ignoring their pleas. His wandering leads him down the river Cocytus, where the common damned are tormented. He sees the souls are taken from the river by Mulciber, whom the other demons had enslaved in order to forge damned souls into an enormous army of hideous abominations.
Battle of Dis[]
Hellboy lays by the shores of Cocytus, even pondering if he could go for a swim, until a voice speaks out, commenting on the sight before him on how this army is meant for him when he decides to become the Beast of the Apocalypse. When he turns, he is faced with Astaroth himself, his demonic "uncle", and two other demons, Gamon and Lusk, who are revealed to be his half-brothers from the late Azazel. Astaroth states that the Earth's darkest hour is now underway and by its end Hellboy will stand alongside the dark mother amongst the ashes of the Earth and the marred Heavens. Hellboy demanded on how Astaroth would benefit from all this, and his uncle answered that they are simply owed what they were due ever since Lucifer opened their eyes and made them see past far more than just their free-will being abused.
Astaroth then tells Hellboy one final time to accept his destiny and when he predictably refuses Astaroth decided to have Gamon and Lusk assault him and take the Right Hand by force. Hellboy is attacked by his half-brothers, who see him as an abomination to their father's honor. They fight arduously until they are interrupted by the sudden arrival of John Constantine, using his quick wit and sharp tongue, turned Gamon and Lusk on each other, which angers Astaroth who tries to stop them. Furious, Astaroth nearly destroys Constantine but before he can do anything, Livyatan rises from Cocytus and swallows Astaroth, Gamon, and Lusk before disappearing again. Hellboy, bewildered, is approached by Constantine, who tells him that with Satan dead, many of the demons would go after each other to settle petty grudges. (It was ironic for Astaroth to dispatch his former master, as it was Satan alone who had kept him safe from Leviathan all these centuries).
Meanwhile, Sargatanas rallies his incredible army, a hellish host that rivaled even Lucifer's rebel army during the War in Heaven. This host was comprised of fallen angels that held onto the hope of returning to Heaven, demons who followed the "way of Sparda" and could no longer bear being under the tyranny of their masters, and even liberated human souls. A massive war erupts in Dis, with Phenex, Focalor, Marchosias, and Forneus leading their respective legions fight those under the command of other opposing infernal lords with the liberated even clashing with the damned souls. During the war the four fallen angels clash with their fellow fallen who were appointed as commanders by their masters. Notable casualties were: Agares, Orobas, Beleth, Amdusias, and Marbas.
Somewhere in Hell, Hellboy and John Constantine continue their trek. Hellboy laments to John, saying how tired he is of the constant death and destruction that follows him wherever he goes. The battle against Nimue was his absolute breaking point and was hoping to find some semblance of peace here away from all the chaos on Earth. But even here trouble seems to follow him and it costs the lives of those he holds dear. The two are then surrounded by several demons who attempt to take their lives until some of them are incinerated by Naamah herself. Constantine is surprised to see Naamah not partaking in the war considering how she wanted to take Lilith's seat of power by marrying Hellboy. Naamah proclaims that it wouldn't mean anything because there will always be resistance and instead experienced an epiphany; she is content with the status quo and their eventual fate. She knew ever since becoming a demon that she would never know contentment and no matter her efforts to elevate herself to the same pedestal as Lilith or even higher there is always something to pull her back down. She is not worried about Lilith succeeding because she knows she will be opposed. Hellboy asks her what she's going to do to which Naamah responds that she will go far from here and if she's lucky would catch a sunrise with Constantine keeping her company. The former demon queen directs the question back to Hellboy but he stumbles and is unsure of what he will do. Naamah says that even demons have free will. The will to change if they wish to have another life. As the two leave, Hellboy's Right Hand of Doom begins to glow.
Sargatanas personally takes the fight to Beelzebub, the Lord of the Flies. Ever since the civil war, Beelzebub was beginning to lose his grip over his rule while in a contest for power with Livyatan. Moreover, he himself could not have anticipated that Spawn would become a foreign factor in this scenario as the latter in question was fighting against Satanachia and Agaliarept. During Sargatanas' duel with the Lord of the Flies, he is joined by his captain Eligos who saved Sargatanas and a two-on-one battle ensues. As Spawn kills Satanachia, the fighting is momentarily halted when a great rumbling is felt throughout the Inferno. The demons see what looked to be a "burning mountain" in the distance when upon closer inspection, is revealed to be Hellboy in a titanic form, having achieved his true Devil Trigger while bearing fiery crown, an image that distresses Beelzebub when he realizes that it is the "Prince in Red". Hysterical and unable to accept his fate, he kills Eligos which enrages Sargatanas. Hellboy arrives leading an army of lesser spirits and to destroy Pandemonium. Livyatan and Behemut arrive to defend their brethren, but Hellboy kills them, while Sargatanas successfully achieves victory over Beelzebub then killing him although Sargatanas is fatally wounded during the duel. With most of Hell's elite killed and the spirits of the Inferno tossed into the Lake of Fire to be destroyed, Sargatanas' war against Hell ends in his victory.
Epilogue[]
Hellboy meets up with a dying Sargatanas who is being tended to by one of his soldiers and Spawn only to see Spawn's body beginning to crumble; since Hellspawn are directly tethered to Hell and their power comes from Hell, the extinguishing of the realm's flames would result in their death. Spawn assures Hellboy that this is what he's wanted and he knew it would happen. Coming to terms with his predicament and dying like a soldier, Spawn wishes Hellboy and Sargatanas a farewell before fully crumbling into dust with his ashes being carried by the cold winds.
Hellboy asks about the fates of the liberated human souls with Sargatanas responding that someone will need to shelter them until the Rapture to which his fellow angels will lead them to the opened gates of Paradise. With his dying breath, Sargatanas' body is engulfed in a goldish white light scattering into soft embers high above. His soldiers and followers pay their respects to their fallen general. With all that was said and done, Hellboy makes his way to Tsalmaveth, the realm of Shades, taking the liberated souls with him as per his promise to Sargatanas. Here he somewhat finds peace at a small house at the shore of Tsalmaveth, where he lays down.